


Killer Kings

by DeathDirt



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: College AU, Last Three Tags Apply to Chapter 1 Only, M/M, Modern AU, Slice of Life, Trans Gabriel Reyes, Trans Mako Rutledge, Trans Male Character, Transphobic Characters TW, Transphobic Dialogue TW, transphobia TW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2020-12-31 17:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21149285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathDirt/pseuds/DeathDirt
Summary: “Come on, Gabe. It’s one night. You can call it off whenever if you really don’t want to.”He doesn’t. He tells himself that he doesn’t. But Gabriel doesn’t bother calling Lúcio before the day of the date, so he starts getting ready, mentally preparing himself for the worst.———A short little project featuring two trans men who love each other very much.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This isn’t going to be many chapters, and as stated in the tags, there is a moment of transphobia in chapter one but there’s none afterward. Also, I’m writing based off my own experiences as a trans man but obviously what I’ve experienced doesn’t apply to everyone. Please be safe my fellow trans brothers and sisters, and get help if you need it. 
> 
> Any criticism is appreciated, and if there’s anything that is racially problematic, I BEG you to tell me. I really love this pairing and these characters, and I will rewrite segments that are racially offensive. I am learning how to identify these kinds of things, but I’m not going to catch everything. If you spot anything, no matter how small, PLEASE tell me! 
> 
> And finally, thanks to all my readers, you give me life!
> 
> PS, fic has had a title change! Just in case anyone bookmarked it and didn’t recognize it.

“Fuck fuck fuck! Jack! Where’s my fucking tie?!” Gabriel is digging through the pile of dirty laundry he keeps in the closet with his roommate and best friend in a desperate attempt to find the single tie that he owns before he ends up stupidly late for his date in forty-five minutes. Most people wouldn’t be panicking yet, but Gabriel still has a twenty minute drive ahead of him and no god damn tie! “Uh,” is Jack’s eloquent reply from the living room. “I think I just got it in the dryer. Like two minutes ago.” Gabriel throws his head back and groans loudly. Ana laughs from the living room. “Come out here, Gabriel! You’re so worked up, I’m sure you look fine!” She calls back. Gabe pats himself down, smooths out some imaginary wrinkles in his suit, then steps out into the living room in the meager apartment he lives in. It’s at least enough for he and Jack to have two separate bedrooms and their own bathroom, kitchenette, and decent living room but that’s about the end of it. 

Gabriel runs a hand through his hair, desperately hoping that growing his hair out wasn’t going to bite him in the ass on this date. At this point, his hair is growing curly and just barely falling over his eyes. It’s not long enough to tie back, and also not short enough to just brush out of the way. Jack and Ana have assured him many times that it’s handsome but Gabe doesn’t know if his date likes the dorky, curly hair he currently sports. Maybe it’s fine. He knows he’s overthinking everything, hates that he _knows_ what he’s doing. Ana motions for him to step further forward, and he does, one hand still messing with his hair while the other tries to straighten things that are already ruler-straight. Ana’s eyes suddenly light up when she sees how Gabriel has dressed himself up. “Well, someone decided to look quite dapper tonight. I think you look wonderful without the tie,” Ana says. Jack nods in agreement. “Yeah, screw the tie, Gabe. Your date’s gonna drop dead when he sees you.” The compliments help Gabriel with the thing that’s bothering him more than the not-tie-having suit. 

This is the first date he’s been on in a year, helpfully forced upon him by two of his college classmates, a foreign exchange from South Korea named Hana Song and a café owner that moved from Brazil five years ago, Lúcio Correia dos Santos. They were both friendly, and fun to be around. Not to mention that they constantly needed help from Gabriel to study since they both tended to get sidetracked easily for one reason or another; Hana is a rather high-profile streamer with tons of subscribers and viewers, while Lúcio has a tendency to just get caught up in whatever beat fills his head at any particular moment and then become obsessed with writing more of his heavenly music. Helping them out was something to do that Gabriel didn’t mind, even found it fun when all the studying was accomplished and they convinced him to play some video games on Hana’s stream while Lúcio made experimental treats to go in his café for them to test out. 

Their typical routine suddenly became uprooted when Hana asked about Gabriel’s relationships a few weeks ago. It was somewhat of a sensitive subject since his last boyfriend had dumped him on account of “a lot more lying than I’m okay with” - a whole lot of bullshit, really, everyone knew what the real problem was - but eventually, Hana and Lúcio managed to get Gabriel to admit he wanted to try dating again. Then they became almost obsessed with the details. What do you look for in a date, they asked. Are you into guys or girls? How much free cash do you have? What’s your schedule like? A few days later, they came to his apartment, knocked on the door, and said “You’ve got a date next week, here’s the address, dress nice but not _too_ nice.” So far, the hardest part has been tailoring his suit that he wore for one of Amélie’s charity dance recitals a few years ago. The suit was plain and not really something that Gabriel would’ve worn in any other circumstance. But he had been low on cash at the time and couldn’t afford to buy something flashy or put something together, so his only choice for the evening was a very plain black suit with matching slacks and an even more plain white dress shirt that went underneath. It didn’t look bad, honestly. Nothing did, really. But the worst has yet to come, and Gabriel knows it.

He tries his best to ignore that, the little voice in the back of his head that says this date is going to find out, going to out him in front of dozens of people, or if not that, then potentially assault him - it wouldn’t be the first time, and he has the scars on his face to prove it, even covered with makeup as they are now - in favor of the even tinier voice telling him that it’ll turn out fine. The one that tends to get tied to a chair, gagged, and beaten with the funny definition of “reality” that Gabriel has become extremely familiar with in his short twenty-three years of life. Tonight, though, he’ll do his best to be optimistic. There’s no saying that he’ll succeed in any capacity, but he’ll try.

Ana stands when Gabriel continues fussing over himself, taking his hands and forcing him to look her in the eyes. Ana’s stern voice and sharp eyes cut through the fog of anxiety that has settled onto Gabriel’s thoughts like a razor blade. “Gabriel. Listen to me. You know the right number to call if something happens. You know you can back out at any time. If your date gives you trouble, call me or Jack and we’ll get you.” She gingerly holds his face, careful not to smudge the makeup he applied over an hour ago. Ana holds his gaze for a long moment, silently staring into his deep chestnut eyes that give away just how frightened he is of something so little as a date. Suddenly she grins. “You’re going to knock him out of the park, habibi. Now go, don’t be late now that you’ve spent all this time preparing.” Gabriel snorts, laughs, and Ana is relieved that he does. If nothing else, he’s a little more relaxed before he gets there. “Okay. Thanks for the pep talk, coach,” Gabriel jokes as he makes for the door. 

The short drive helps keep his thoughts together. Gabriel can quickly think through what to do once he gets to the restaurant as he’s driving, and repeating the steps over and over is mildly helpful. It’s distracting enough that he can stave off his anxiety until he pulls up to the restaurant. After he’s parked, though, the unwanted thoughts rear their collective head. Did he remember everything? Should he have done more with his hair? Is the suit too much? Not enough? Gabriel resists the temptation to slam his head against the steering wheel until he loses consciousness. At least with brain damage, there’s a chance he wouldn’t fuck himself over before he got out of the damn car. Rather than that, he slips out of his car, double checks that he has his phone and wallet in his pockets, hopefully not very noticeable, then locks the vehicle and walks to the front door of the restaurant. It’s a little fancy, he supposes, definitely not a “sit down in your pajamas and eat” place, though it’s not the highest class restaurant Gabriel’s ever been in.

As time inches closer and closer to six, Gabriel checks his texts to remind himself - unnecessarily, since he’s memorized the thing by now - who Lúcio told him to look for.

**Ranito**: _Really big guy, should be in a suit vest instead of a full jacket but don’t quote me on that, probably on a big chopper, almost guaranteed to have a pig somewhere, either as a pin or a ring or something, also has a few piercings in/on his face_

The description is admittedly vague, but as more and more slices of pure white bread walk by, Gabriel becomes increasingly confident he’ll be able to spot this guy. He isn’t totally sure most of these people know what a chopper is. And forget about piercings; aside from earrings, it doesn’t look like any of the people walking past Gabriel would know what to do with a piercing if you put it in their hand. He’s not totally free of them himself, and now he’s glad that he decided to leave a few in for this date. Nothing loud and obvious, just two in his left ear, an industrial and a helix, with a shiny dark grey barbell through the industrial and a matching ring through the helix. Something to show that he wasn’t a completely bland, flavorless, model pretty boy, not that anyone’s accused Gabriel Reyes of being anything less than “more fucking extra than Lady Gaga”.

A loud, growling rumble floods the parking lot. Gabriel turns toward the sound and sees a perfect match to what Lúcio has texted him. Just like the text says, the bike he rides is definitely a chopper, the guy is also wearing a dark grey leather vest with multiple patches on the front though Gabriel can’t make out most of them, plain but slightly oil-smeared blue jeans, sturdy steel-toed boots, has a few rings on both hands that Gabriel sees when he passes, long white hair that’s been pulled into a ponytail, and piercings in his ear, lip, and bridge of his wide nose. 

If it were publicly appropriate, Gabriel would be glad to drop his pants for this stranger he was on a blind date with. Hopefully, because this man is big, he is sexy, and he is almost hilariously out of place with all the twig-thin white couples coming in and out of the building. 

Gabriel stands on the sidewalk as the man parks his chopper and walks toward the establishment. It unhelpfully occurs to him then that Lúcio never told him a name, which only sets his mind further down the spiral of anxiety. As Gabriel is trying to frantically text Lúcio for a name, someone’s big hand gently touches his elbow. His head snaps up to see the very good looking stranger in front of him, hair down now and still looking like he’s a damn near perfect human being. “I’m lookin’ for Gabriel?” The man asks. Gabe nods, then frantically shakes his head as he clears his throat. “Uh, ye-yeah, yeah. That’s me.” Gabriel stares at the unhelpful screen of his phone for a few seconds before he looks back up. The stranger has his head cocked to the side in question, to which Gabriel sheepishly grins and shrugs in response. “Lúcio didn’t tell me your name,” Gabriel says in apology, rubbing the back of his neck because hot _damn_ it hasn’t even been ten minutes and Gabriel feels like his date is miles, planets, _universes_ out of his league. His date laughs and pats Gabriel’s shoulder. “Mako,” he says. 

Gabriel nods and rolls the name around in his head. It sounds awesome to the part of his head that is a perpetual seven-year-old. Mako’s name just sounds strong and sharp and absolutely lovely. Gabriel clears his throat again, trying to derail his own train of thought before it gets ahead of him. This is only a first date, after all, nobody said anything about a next time or a one night stand or any of that.

“I went and got us in the wait for a table. The lady said it was a thirty minute wait and it’s only been, uh, about fifteen so...do you want to sit down and talk?” Gabriel offers. Not his best material, but his anxiety has sky-rocketed now that he knows what kind of person Lúcio and Hana set him up with. There’s only so much he can do to keep it under wraps, but when Mako nods and points to a bit of landscaping that’s away from the crowd, Gabriel does the best he can to go through the short list in his head of what helps alleviate his anxiety. And even still, as he and Mako start talking, his leg bounces uncontrollably. 

Through the course of their fifteen minute talk, Gabriel learns that Mako works as a mechanic in his own auto shop, rooms with an oddball named Jamison who Gabriel thinks he’s seen with Hana and Lúcio on weekends, likes a lot of classic horror, is a huge metalhead, and is vegan. He even wears a “no meat” patch on his vest that Gabriel finds amazing, and it’s even better that Mako has no issues with him not being completely vegan. It’s one of those things about going to college, there’s the occasional nuthead that screams in your face how veganism will clear your face, water your crops, and cure depression and anxiety except when you politely say you aren’t interested, then they get verbally violent. Gabe doesn’t mention that story because it was only once and it wouldn’t be nice to sound like he’s belittling Mako’s decisions on account of a freak incident. In exchange, Gabriel tells Mako that he works in Lúcio’s café, that he’s shacked up with his childhood best friend Jack and together their bills aren’t much to worry about, that he also loves classic horror and that his favorite film is Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, says something to the effect of “I tried being a vegan but my friend lived in Indiana for years and years and I seriously can’t go more than a week without a chicken-fried pork chop being shoved in my mouth” - which fortunately gets a laugh out of Mako - and that he’s more of a grunge and punk person himself but still likes some of the classic heavy metal like Dio and Iron Maiden. By the time they’re done with the initial awkward introduction, the buzzer on Gabriel’s leg goes frantic, and he immediately hops up. “That’d be our table, I guess. You wanna- I mean, can I-“ Gabriel stutters a few times before Mako takes pity on him and stands on his own. “Yeah, let’s,” Mako says, and Gabriel is relieved that Mako takes the lead into the restaurant so that he doesn’t see Gabriel smack his palm against his forehead. 

They’re seated and order their drinks, water for Mako and diet cola for Gabriel. The menu has a decent variety of meal options, ranging from light salad to meaty steak. Gabriel’s leg starts to bounce again, though he does his best to keep it under control. Something comes over his knee and holds it down, which Gabriel is initially grateful for, until he realizes that it’s not his own hand. He’s suddenly gripping the flimsy menu tightly because Mako is decent enough to not even mention it. When their waitress comes back over for their meal orders, Mako quickly orders an eggplant parmigiana which sounds completely amazing to Gabriel, but he goes for an order of smoked salmon instead.

When the waitress leaves, Gabriel‘s focus shifts to the restaurant’s interior. It’s a little plain, but then again, so are most of the people walking in and out of it. The carpet is black with flecks of cream throughout, muffling footsteps as waiters and waitresses rush between tables, the walls are painted an inoffensive steely grey-blue, and the tables are dark wood matching the panels on the walls. There’s displays set into the walls that divide the restaurant with bottles of wine and framed pictures of painted scenes. 

He’s not sure what does it, but his sight finally settles back on Mako. Gabriel can’t say why he’s so flustered, other than the obvious explanation of nerves, though it must be something to do with how his date looks. Which is to say, absolutely gorgeous without looking like he spent any effort. The sleeves of his vest were ripped, and the vest itself was dotted with patches and pins of all kinds. There was, of course, the aforementioned “no meat” patch, a circular white one with a skull that had text reading “Bikers Against Human Trafficking”, one of a pig with angry red eyes that had the words “Wild Hog” underneath, plus several rainbow pins and even one with a trans flag on it. It gives Gabriel some hope that Mako won’t react too much when the subject inevitably comes up, because it always does sooner or later. 

Other than the gentle chatter from the other patrons, silence stretches on for what seems to be an eternity to Gabriel. He’s never been good at small talk, and that’s definitely not changed for one date. “This doesn’t seem like your type of place,” Mako comments offhandedly, looking back and forth between the décor and Gabriel. It makes Gabe want to squirm, mess with his hair, do something with his hands, but refrains from doing so by shoving his free hand into his pocket. “Uh. Not really, no. I’d rather make dinner and then go eat it out at the college campus at midnight when nobody’s around than go somewhere like this. But Lúcio and Hana insisted so...” Gabriel trails off as he realizes how offputting that statement must be. Mako nods in agreement or understanding, it’s hard to determine which. “Dates aren’t my thing,” Mako says, “Usually just spend time or don’t after I meet ‘em. You’re pretty damn cute, though, so I want to see you more. After tonight, that is. Don’t want to scare you off after the first date,” Mako adds with a wink. Gabriel feels like his brain has done the equivalent of a computer blue-screen. He doesn’t know how to take this very honest compliment and genuine offer to stay with Mako for a while. “Uh,” was the only coherent word that could come out of his mouth without being stumbled over. Mako grins, hides his laughter behind a broad hand. “Fuck, you are adorable. Not what I expected when I saw you on the sidewalk.” 

Gabriel finally manages a weak chuckle. He usually hates being called cute, and while it’s fine when Jack and Ana do it because they’ll only ever tease, it usually makes him feel moderate dysphoria. It definitely makes him uncomfortable that Mako’s done it, but he can’t make that obvious or else he might risk this date going terribly. He swallows down some spit, tries to smile, but Mako seems to pick up on Gabriel’s discomfort. Mako’s eyebrows draw together as he asks, “Is that okay? Calling you cute?” 

“What?”

“You look like you’re gettin’ sick. Is it okay if I say you’re cute?” He’s...asking. Mako is just asking. He is genuinely concerned and asking how Gabriel feels about being called something as innocuous and inoffensive as “cute”. Gabriel suddenly shifts back in his seat. He’s not used to being...asked. “No,” he says firmly, “No, I would rather you not call me cute. I’m fine with pretty or handsome, but not cute.” Gabriel has to gulp down half of his soda once he’s done. He doesn’t often get asked how words like “cute” make him feel, and is almost always ridiculed for it if he is. But Mako has just asked, then sat back in his chair without another word. “I’m sorry for calling you cute, then,” Mako says, “But I still think you _are_ very lovely, if that’s alright.” 

“Yeah, that’s perfectly fine.” Gabriel can force a smile on his face, and slowly relaxes. Dating hasn’t really been easy in the past, but it seems that it might actually go his way for once. 

They continue talking over the low chatter of the restaurant, about nothing important. Gabriel mentions that Lúcio is struggling with making new pastries for his café. Mako starts talking about Jamison, how he’s almost like an eternal babysitting job because of just how unlucky he is. In the middle of a story of how Jamison accidentally set a dumpster on fire and ended up with a pet ferret, the waitress comes by to set their food down. Gabriel almost can’t thank her because he’s laughing so hard. “So then the manager comes out from the back door,” Mako continues after Gabe has regained control of his breathing, “Starts yelling at him because there was a live animal in the trash for some fuckin’ reason, and he starts diggin’ through it while it’s all about to explode, manager yells at him more for bein’ a bonehead, then he pulls out a singed little fur ball. She wasn’t very happy, but also wasn’t hurt, and neither was Jamie except for a couple burns. Manager was still pissed even though he pulled her out but I guess the burnt fur smell wasn’t too great for the store, so the bag just gave her to Jamie after the week was up.” Gabe snorts.

“That sounds like my roommate, honestly. Boneheaded enough to start shit but not nearly dumb enough to let it be.” Mako chuckles as well. Most of Gabriel’s anxiety has fallen away since they started talking, and he feels worlds better as they start to eat. They still talk a little bit in between bites, but for the most part, the meal itself is silent, aside from the low clattering din of the restaurant. Halfway through his fish, Gabriel notices a group sit at a nearby table. Normally he wouldn’t care but a few of them look familiar, and not in a good way. For the moment, he’s able to brush it off, but the fear still hums quietly in the back of his head. 

They’re close to finishing when Gabriel notices one of the women turn towards him and Mako. He tries to seem like he doesn’t notice, but she either doesn’t realize or doesn’t care, giggling as she whispers into the ear of the boy next to her. Then he turns as well, says something to the woman that Gabriel can’t hear over the suddenly deafening clatter of cutlery, gets up, and starts over. Gabriel tries to politely wolf down whatever is left on his plate - he’s currently too panicked to care about whatever it is - but he can’t finish his meal fast enough for the waitress to notice. He curls one hand into a fist under the table, hopes desperately that it stays there because he doesn’t think he can take a rejection very well right now.

The boy puts his hand down on the table, almost slams it. “Well, well,” he taunts with a snide smile, “If it isn’t my baby boy. Out in public with-“ He glances to Mako and snorts. “Fuck if I know. How’s it been, sweet babe? Lookin’ real cute tonight.” Gabriel tries not to let Drake get to him, he really does. Knows that he’s trying to goad a reaction out, provoke an outburst, something. He never talked like this unless he wanted to win a fight. Mako grunts, very loudly, and nudges at the intruder with his own boot. “Private matter, here,” Mako states matter-of-factly. Gabriel almost wants to kick him for the look it pulls to Drake’s face - smug, assholish, gloating before the victory motherfucker. “Sorry, didn’t catch that,” Drake starts, ugly, crooked grin creeping across his acne-scarred face as he turns his head just enough to pretend he’s looking at Mako, “Little too much snort in between there.” He looks so full of himself in one moment and it is a struggle not to just let him _have it_. Drake turns back to Gabriel, looking for all the world like he’s certain of his status as a god amongst men. “You look real dolled up, Gabi, can’t imagine you’re here for the ham hock,” He drawls. 

Gabriel’s nearly frozen as Drake gently cups his cheek, and he feels the makeup smudge away with the asshole’s hand. Gabriel’s pupils have reduced to pinpricks of black, barely wavering from their focus on Drake’s neck. “Damn,” he hisses, “Covered these beautiful babes up too? Don’t tell me you got all pretty just for this guy.” He’s close enough that Gabriel can smell the weed and the tobacco in his breath, see the grimy yellow of his teeth, and his pale complexion is more than obvious in the white glow of the overhead lights. It is a painful reminder of a very similar situation Gabriel remembers, and of course he’s reacting exactly the same as he had then. His breathing is coming in short, shallow, panicked huffs, yet Drake continues.

_Go away, go away, go away-_

“I mean, we’ve got room, since I’m sure you don’t mind ditching this lame ass excuse.”

_Shut up, shut up, shut the fuck up-_

“Besides, I’ll bet you’re ready to come back to me, huh, babe?”

_One more fucking word, bastard-_

“Bet your cunt’s gonna be great all over this dick-“ 

Gabriel surges up, grabs the front of Drake’s shirt and slams him against the table. When he comes back up, red is streaking down his lips and between his fingers. There’s a gasp from a few tables away, but Gabriel doesn’t let go just yet. He drags his ex close, puts them eye to eye so Drake knows exactly how fucked he is. “Talk to me, or Mako, again, and I’ll give you more than a nosebleed,” Gabriel snarls in his face, “I don’t give a damn about your two inch dick or how far into the gutter I’d have to go to fucking get it.” There’s a collective gasp when Gabriel tosses Drake back towards his table, still clutching his bleeding nose, and he sits back down heavily. His breathing is labored, like he’s run through a proper fight instead of just tossing some asshole away. After a solid minute, the restaurant returns to its low din.

The waitress returns a moment later, with someone else behind her. An older man, just as well dressed as the wait-staff but a little more straight in the shoulders. Of course she went and got a manager, Gabriel thinks bitterly to himself. Because it’s a fucking white guy who can’t put his money where his mouth is getting his ass handed to him the way he deserves. The waitress stands to the side for a moment before coming forward. She doesn’t look scared at all, more likely just grabbed her manager in case they broke something. “Separate checks, or together?”

“I’ll take it,” Gabriel says. He hopes his bad attitude doesn’t rub the girl the wrong way because she leaves with a small huff under her breath after Gabe hands over his card. She comes back quickly, bids the two men a good evening, then walks away again. Gabriel pulls out a ten dollar bill from his wallet and leaves it on the table, then quickly heads to the door. He thinks he hears Mako say his name but the door’s already shut on that opportunity, and Gabe just wants to go back to his apartment to start forgetting about this date. His car isn’t parked very far away from the front door; he gets to it in less than a minute. When he climbs into the small space, he stares at the dashboard for a long time, contemplating the consequences of an angry text to Lúcio about what a bad idea this blind date has been before someone knocks on the window. Gabriel is scared to look out the window, but he forces himself to do so. It’s Mako. Or someone else equally as huge and imposing just standing there quietly.

On the one hand, he’s made an ass of himself so far, why not just pull out and drive off? What’s he going to do, follow Gabe back to his apartment? _Spooky_. But, on the other, Gabriel doesn’t want to make this situation worse by giving Mako more fuel to the fire. Against his better - or perhaps worse - judgement, Gabriel pops his door open, waits for Mako to step back, then pulls himself back out of his car. He doesn’t look anywhere higher than Mako’s shoulders, hopes he can get away with it since he’s made it clear he’s uncomfortable. “Forgot something,” Mako rumbles, and holds his hand out with a strip of...napkin? Gabriel, confused, takes the torn paper and unfolds it, where a written number stares at him. He’s got to be joking...right?

“You still want to see me after this? After- _that_?” Gabriel can’t believe what’s happening. Finally, he looks up at Mako’s face, more surprised to see that he’s smiling. “Well, shit happens. Didn’t know that was gonna happen, guy’s obviously an ass, so I figured it ain’t gonna hurt to give it one more try,” Mako says in reply. “Text or call and we’ll work somethin’ out. Maybe do something that you’re more comfortable with. Yeah?”

“I mean...y-yeah, yeah, totally. I’ll tell you when I’ve got time away from the Auditiva, or, if you’re cool with it, you could stop by. I’m sure Lúcio wouldn’t mind seeing you, either.” Gabriel’s mouth has gone completely and utterly dry. His eyes flick between the number he’s suddenly holding onto for dear life and Mako’s face, in disbelief that Mako wasn’t ready to just completely give up after one date. Mako starts walking away and Gabriel is finally startled into moving. “H-hey! Mako!” Mako turns his head to regard Gabriel. “I’m sorry. For being an asshole, at dinner.” Gabriel licks his lips in anticipation because Mako stands there for several minutes, observing Gabriel with unwavering focus. Then, he nods his head in acknowledgement, and goes back towards his chopper. Gabe rubs the back of his neck, tries to settle himself after feeling a short rush of panic from the prolonged silence.

There’s going to be a next time. He’s got another chance to not fuck it up. And he’s _not_ going to screw it up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A decidedly more lighthearted addition, this time featuring supporting characters! Oh, how I love when a story comes together!

“Gabriel? What happened? You weren’t out for very long.” Ana is on him as soon as he walks into the door. Gabriel shrugs, pushes past her to get to his bedroom where he shrugs off the suit jacket to toss it in the pile of dirty clothes. He doesn’t think Ana will let the question be, but he hopes. 

In the living room, Ana glances at Jack on the couch in silent question. “I have no idea,” he says, “Usually if it’s bad, he’ll lock himself in his room for a few days, but I haven’t heard anything slam yet.” Ana huffs, “Terrifically helpful, Indiana.” Her first instinct is to go back there, open the door up and demand Gabriel tell her what was wrong, but it seems that he would take care of the first half on his own. He comes back out of his room to flop down on the floor, still with his nice clothes on minus the jacket. Gabriel doesn’t seem interested in talking, in fact he hardly seems to notice the melodramatic sitcom that Ana and Jack had agreed was just awful enough to sit through. 

Ana sits on the floor next to Gabriel and Jack leaves quietly, only to come back a moment later with the big, fluffy blue comforter from his bed that he tosses over Gabriel and tucks under him. Jack sits on the floor as well, on Gabriel’s other side, and presses his shoulder against Gabriel’s. Ana does the same, and the slight pressure and soft warmth starts to bleed the evening’s tension away until Gabriel is happily sandwiched between Ana and Jack, practically melting in their cuddle pile. 

“So... How did it go?” Ana asks, carefully phrasing the question as neutrally as she could rather than more like the “where is this asshole and how would you like him killed” she feels. Gabriel sighs heavily, reaching into the comforter to pull at something, his shoes as it appears when he kicks them out of his loose blanket burrito. “It _was_ fine. Then I fucked it up.” Jack grunts, then shifts further against Gabriel to press more firmly against him. Ana hums and takes his hand. “You did not,” She argues gently. “I did. Fuck, you should’ve heard me. I don’t know what the fuck happened but shit, somehow he still wants to meet again, so I guess he didn’t care.” Gabe rubs his palms against his forehead. “He should’ve. God, he should’ve yelled at me for being such a dick.”

“Please, Gabriel. I’m sure you were fine.”

“I’m really sure I wasn’t. First I almost made an ass of myself because he called me cute, which was fucking horrifying on its own. Then I had to sit through Drake trying to piss me off, because of course he’d be at the one damn place where I happen to be on a date.” Jack and Ana simultaneously grab his hands through the comforter. All they need is the name to know exactly what was wrong.

While not the most recent, Drake has been recent enough that Gabriel can’t shake the memory of their relationship easily. It had been a bad match from the start, though it was also mere weeks after Gabriel’s previous boyfriend had gotten aggressively drunk and pulled a knife out in the middle of the night. To say he was in a bad headspace at the time is an understatement. At first, it had been innocuous things. Asking for a few naughty pictures during the day, gently pushing Gabriel to have sex when he was tired and didn’t particularly want to, begging him to stay over during weekdays - little things. Slowly, these little things built up until Gabriel was calling in sick to Lúcio just because Drake wouldn’t stop bothering him to have sex. Ana tried to confront him about it, but Gabriel had been very defensive and emotionally detached to the situation, continuously denying that Drake was just using him for sex until the fact was blatantly shoved in his face the day he was introduced to some of Drake’s...other friends. They called him damn near everything under the sun except for his proper name. Over an hour of “slut”, “baby”, “sweetie pie”, Gabriel’s certain he heard at least one slur they used to point him out. 

At that point, he forcibly backed himself away from the relationship, made Drake tell him exactly what they were together, and was more than upset by the answer. Gabriel remembers the reply, vividly. “_You’re my queen baby!_” Drake had said, “_My favorite boy with a good pussy! You’re different than the other girls, baby!_”

More than enough for Gabriel to cut it then and there.

Jack presses tightly to Gabriel’s side. “He shows up here, he’s getting it,” the blond promises with a squeeze of his hand. Ana nods on his other side. “He’ll have more than pretty in blond on his hands, too,” she adds with a devilish grin, “Because I am quite sure he does not know that hell hath no fury like me.” Gabriel chuckles at his best friends’ very friendly (and serious) threats at the nonexistent asshole. He really is happy that they’re so committed to helping him, even when he’s a depressing mess like he is now. 

“I fucking love you guys,” Gabriel admits quietly, digging himself into the comforter further and gently pulling Ana and Jack to put more weight on his body.

They fall asleep one on top of the other, pulling themselves up on the couch at some point. Ana and Jack make sure to put as much weight as they can on Gabriel because they know how much he likes the feeling of being surrounded on all sides. They end up in an odd pile, with the couch pulled out, Gabriel in the middle, and Jack and Ana draped across his body. 

And, somehow, despite the shitty evening, Gabriel sleeps more comfortably than he thinks he has in months.

-

The next week was quiet. Gabe texted Mako a time or two to apologize for his behavior again, as well as just to talk about nothing. Without much school to occupy himself with and with Jack and Ana taking a few weeks of vacation to visit Bloomington and Cairo back to back, Gabriel is left mostly to babysit his own apartment. Hana and Lùcio still come over, more often now that they’re so interested in how Gabriel liked Mako. Gabriel tries to deflect, hold off the discussion for as long as he can because he doesn’t really want to say that he nearly threw up because of one flirty asshole that intruded on the date and forced him to 180 from pleasant and nice to assholish. Eventually, though, they squeeze the truth out of him.

It’s an overall pleasant afternoon in the café. Business is slow, so Gabriel, Hana, and Lúcio are gathered at the counter, exchanging their little adventures they had through the week. “So then,” Hana says, animatedly miming some kind of Starcraft unit, “All the minions of the Chubby Bunny army charged onto this noob’s base, and he was out trying to fix up some kind of turret I guess? But we rolled right through everything he had, and this guy didn’t know what to do! So I say to chat, y’know, mercy or ruthless because it’s something I like to do, and, like, _everyone_ piles in with ruthless! Ruthless destruction!” Hana cackles at the memory of her - apparently - dominant win. She wipes her eyes, still giggling, then immediately turns to Gabriel. “So, did anything _else_ get totally destroyed lately, Gabi?” She asks, and as though that weren’t suggestive enough, she winks for emphasis. Gabriel sighs and glances out the window. Unfortunately, the silent treatment won’t work this time.

Hana pounces immediately, “Come on! It’s been, what, two weeks? Lúcio, get him to tell already!” Lúcio shrugs, backing off. “Hey, I was down for finding him a date but if he doesn’t want to talk, whatever,” The young man replies, absently rubbing a damp cloth over the counter. He seems bored with it, would probably prefer to go to the back and write something than stand out in the empty café. “Fine, you don’t want to push him, but you still want to know, right?”

“Well yeah, duh. Gabe’s been lonely and I was hoping Mako would help him out of his brooding, but it’s not my business.” Gabriel scoffs. “I do not fucking brood,” He mutters under his breath, which only gets him two very unamused looks from his friends. Gabriel rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Still don’t want to talk about the date.” Hana perks up at that, scooting her stool forward. “So you don’t want to talk about the date,” She begins slowly, “But that means you’re gonna tell us what you thought of Mako!” Gabriel can only really get out a confused “what?” before Hana is pulling him around the counter and sitting him down at one of the empty tables. She whips her phone out, then fixes a level stare at Gabe, clearly expecting a lengthy and detailed explanation. Gabriel tries to push away from the table, but Hana is hot on his heels, just to drag him over to another table and sit him down. She is very clearly not taking no for an answer. 

Gabriel sighs, and it’s the sound of defeat Hana’s been waiting for. “Fine. Fine. I’ll tell you what I thought of Mako, then you’re gonna leave me alone.” Hana nods quickly and waves for him to get on with it. “The date was awful but Mako himself? Fucking perfect. Very cool, had a good time just talking with him, felt like we had a lot in common regarding interests and other such things. I liked him.” Gabriel pauses. Hana waves for him to say more, though she doesn’t look up from her phone. “Okay, fine. I also thought he was really hot. Like... People ask me to crush their heads with my thighs as a weird pickup line? That, but with Mako’s fucking arms, geez. Absolutely amazing. And gorgeous to boot. How the hell did you two find a friend that god damn hot? He was amazing and one of the best people I’ve met on a shitty date since Amélie. Is that enough for you, little heathen?” Hana is typing away at her phone, violently tapping the screen for at least ten seconds before she looks back up, wide grin over her face. “You bet, Gabi! Now Jamie and I can let Mako know how you thought of him.” Hana winks and gently kicks Gabriel under the table to let him know it’s a joke, but his anxiety spikes anyway. He has no idea what would happen if Mako were to know all of this. Maybe he should just tell him if they could meet again.

As though on cue, Gabriel’s phone buzzes, and when he pulls it out, he blushes instantly. 

**Mako**: _so im gorgeous huh_  
**Mako**: _yknow youre damn fine yourself_

Gabriel glares when Hana leans across the table to peek at his phone. The girl shrugs, with a definitely-not-sorry expression smugly written across her face. “I never said I wouldn’t _text_ Mako what you thought,” she says in a sing-song tone, which does nothing to help her current situation. Gabriel rises from the table, about to cuss her out big time, when the bell on the front door rings. Gabriel immediately stiffens into a professional manner, though he gives a parting glare before he walks to the door to handle the customer. 

The rest of the day is mildly busy, or at least busy enough that Gabriel can’t go sit back down with Hana. When Lúcio announces to the few people still in the café that it was closing, Gabriel collects his phone from Hana’s table and gets started on cleanup. Hana helps, even though she doesn’t technically work for Lúcio. “It’s a friend thing, calm down, just give me a free cookie and we’re even,” she says after Lúcio tries to persuade her otherwise. 

Gabriel and Hana stand by while Lúcio locks the store, and they all walk together back to their apartments. Gabriel checks his phone at the first crosswalk to see a plethora of texts that has swarmed his phone. Most of them were from Jack and Ana, telling him about Indiana and how lovely it was in the spring or how Jack’s cousin Emily found a new girlfriend, but at the bottom of the notification list, there were three more texts from Mako.

**Mako**: _if you arent busy, do you wanna come down to the shop tomorrow_  
**Mako**: _dont have much going on and jamie isnt gonna be around so itd just be us_  
**Mako**: _wouldnt stay either, just figured its an easy place to pick out we both know_

Gabriel types back an enthusiastic “yes”, but it must be obvious what he’s doing because when he looks back up, Hana and Lúcio are fighting back laughter. “Oh, fuck you two!” Gabe snaps at them, but it’s half-hearted and insincere. If anything, he should probably thank them for finding such a wonderful guy. But that’s for later, when he figures out what he and Mako can be together.


	3. Chapter 3

Mako had plenty of work to do in the shop, but he couldn’t stop thinking of Gabriel. Of course he couldn’t. When he first saw Gabriel outside the restaurant, his immediate thought was _What a fucking goofy bastard._ His initial reaction was that the date was going to go horribly and he’d probably get called some kind of uncreative insult he’s heard a thousand times before. He braced himself for just as much, then was pleasantly surprised when Gabriel was just nice and friendly. Maybe a little more awkward than Mako was prepared for, but still a sweet man. And then _that_ asshole showed up and Mako was sure that Gabriel would call it a wash and they would never speak again. Except when he sat in the restaurant, alone, he thought on it, and figured he’d at least show Gabriel that his outburst wasn’t anything to throw Mako Rutledge off the saddle. The look on Gabriel’s face had been absolutely priceless - completely open and surprised at someone giving him an unspoiled second chance.

And now he was coming to the shop, two weeks later, and Mako can’t keep his mind off him. It wasn’t often that Mako went along with the people Lúcio tried to find for him. Lúcio himself had been great, patient and loving almost to a fault to both he and Jamison. But something just stopped clicking right with Mako, and he backed out. Jamie still goes out with Lúcio all the time, which Mako doesn’t care about. He knows Lúcio will take care of Jamie if he has a breakdown and he knows that Jamie won’t let anybody get too close to Lúcio if they mean trouble. But for some reason, Lúcio was always trying to find someone new for Mako. Maybe he just felt guilty for not being able to make Mako as happy as when they started. Or something, Mako doesn’t think of it much anymore.

But boy, did Lúcio make a good choice with this one.

It’s mildly distracting through the day, but only to the point that Jamison can tell; he’s told off for it, but Mako shrugs and keeps working through it. There’s a handful of vehicles running through the shop the whole day, so Mako has enough work not to dwell on his incoming date. When closing time arrives, however, and Mako finishes up the last oil change for the day, he looks up to see Gabriel at the office door, looking terribly out of place in his baggy hoodie, jeans, and adorable curly hair. _Pretty_, Mako corrects internally. He has certainly not forgotten about Gabriel’s request from their first date. 

Although Gabriel is here now, Mako still has to do what’s necessary before he can leave. So he methodically searches through his own little hole in the garage, puts away any tools that had been left out, wipes the lift of any fresh fluids and leaves the stains to themselves. He’s cleaned his own mess, so now he walks towards Gabriel, whose face lights up when he sees Mako getting closer. “Hey,” he quickly says, “I can wait however long you need me to. Didn’t have anything else to do today, so I walked over.” Mako glances around, hoping to see Gabriel’s car a few blocks away, but it seems he walked the _whole_ way. “Not stayin’,” he says, and Gabriel’s smile begins to fall. “Oh. Oh, shit,” he mutters. Mako snorts a laugh. “I’ve got a helmet in the saddlebag, so you can ride with me if you’re fine with that.”

“Like... The big chopper you were on at the restaurant?” Mako nods. Gabriel immediately lights up once again. “Holy shit, yes, I’d love to ride with you!” He yells, grinning widely. Mako chuckles at his enthusiasm, and is honestly flattered by it. “Glad you like the idea,” he says. They start towards the bike, proudly standing in its space at the end of the lot. He could technically park it closer, since the employee parking took half the lot anyway; Mako simply didn’t trust the people coming and going from the shop, employee or no, and he knows that more than one coworker would love to tip his chopper over. Said coworkers also know that they won’t see the light of day again if they carry through with that plan; better safe than sorry, though.

Mako pulls the helmet from the saddlebag and hands it over as he mounts the bike. It looks a tad small once Gabriel fastens it over his head, but they aren’t going far. Gabriel swings his leg across the seat of the bike, gently setting his feet on the pegs situated behind the pedals, and he holds tightly onto Mako’s uniform. “Don’t gotta hold on,” he says over his shoulder, “Pretty dirty.” He feels Gabriel shrug against his back. “Dirty’s fine,” Gabriel replies, leaning his cheek against Mako.

When the bike starts, Mako feels Gabriel jump, then grip even harder at the fabric of his uniform. He wants to put a hand on Gabriel’s leg, assure him a little, but he decides that the best way to alleviate his fears is just to get the hell home. One of the other employees waves as he pulls out of the lot, and Mako silently returns it. He pulls out onto the street, bike rumbling as they sit at the stoplight on the corner. “Y’ alright?” Mako yells back. Gabriel nods against him, seems to shuffle a bit to nestle himself more firmly against Mako. The light swaps to green, and Mako pulls out of the intersection, much slower than he typically would. He’s figured out between the date and what Hana’s told him that Gabriel suffers from some form of anxiety. Currently, he seems more excited than frightened, giggling like a child while the wind whips at his hoodie, and Mako isn’t eager to change that.

The apartment is only a mile away, but between the stoplights and the idiot people trying to jaywalk ten feet from an intersection, the ride is a little longer than usual. Still, they make it in under ten minutes. Jamison is visible on the stairway outside the apartment, fidgeting with something until he sees Mako pull into the apartment’s parking lot. “Oi, Hoggy!” He yells when the chopper’s engine dies down. Mako looks up. “Goin’ out with Lú an’ Han! Don’t trash the place while ‘m gone, ya got that?!” Jamison tromps down the metal stairs as Gabriel dismounts and Mako throws the kickstand down. The blond pauses when he sees Gabriel, currently removing the borrowed helmet and carefully replacing it in the saddlebag. “Hana ‘n Lúcio’s friend,” Mako says, putting a reassuring palm on Jamie’s thin shoulders, “Ain’t gonna bother any of your things.” Jamison nods quickly, then runs out to the sidewalk where Hana and Lúcio are standing together. They wave when they see Jamison and begin to talk loudly and animatedly about their respective weeks. 

Mako leads Gabriel up the metal stairway to his apartment three floors up. “Not much to look at, but me ‘n Jamie share a bed and keep it all clean,” Mako says as he opens up the door. It really is quite plain, or at least it is to Mako. Metal parts are piled in the far corner of the front room, neatly outlined by a thin ring of cardboard. To the left of the door is the kitchen, pristine as ever, with a half-wall separating it from the rest of the front. To the right, the room is taken up mostly by a wide black couch piled with blankets and a television mounted on the wall. Directly in front of the entry is another hall, where a door at the end is slightly ajar, enough to see the mountain of a bed that Mako and Jamison share. It’s a tad small when the two pile onto it but it’s enough.

Mako pulls his boots off and tosses them in the tiny closet next to the front door. “Gonna clean up,” he says to Gabriel, “Look around, just don’t touch anything that’s got any cardboard around it. That’s Jamison’s stuff, he’s particular about it.” 

Mako does his best to keep it short, but it’s a chore, as always. Although the apartment has a big enough everything else for Mako, there’s still the issue of the shower being way too small. So it’s a little bit of a time-consuming process to wash himself. But there is no way in hell that Mako is going to stay sweaty and grimy when he has a four-day weekend ahead of himself, so washing it is. 

When he comes out, he sees that Gabriel is looking through the kitchen, inspecting the cabinets one at a time. “Hungry?” Mako asks, tossing his dirty uniform into a basket just inside the bedroom door. Gabriel shakes his head, pauses, then gives an odd half-shrug. “A bit. But I’m not gonna eat your food or anything, I’ll get something on the way back home.” Mako walks to the kitchen and starts to pull cabinets open. There’s snacks stashed everywhere because of Jamison and his incessant need for small food. And also perhaps because Mako is absolutely and unashamedly in love with all manner of snack food. Fuck dieting. Mako gestures to it all and says, “Take whatever. Just gonna buy more before long anyway. Ain’t gonna hurt if you do.” Gabriel glances at the stuffed cabinets, then begins to cautiously paw through whatever is inside. He seems nervous, with his shoulders drawn tight and his eyebrows furrowed. 

Mako watches him linger on a few bags of chips and chocolate, then move on, then right back to those bags. Instead of waiting, Mako puts a gentle hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, waits for him to step away, then pulls the bags out himself. “Not tryin’ to be impatient,” he says offhandedly, grabbing for even more, “Saw you eye these and figured I’d just get ‘em for you.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Gabriel peeks in a few more cabinets but is decidedly satisfied with what Mako pulled out for him - two bags of cheese-dusted popcorn, a half bag of potato chips, and three bags of chocolate candy. Mako pulls out a few more bags, only to put all but one back. Mako turns when he’s finished piling bags back into their respective cabinets, asks, “Y’wanna go watch TV? Jamie pays out the nose for the streaming shit, ‘s about it though.” Gabriel nods, and they both take a seat on the couch with their snacks. 

At first, it’s nothing but searching for something to watch. Eventually they get to the horror genre, where they argue over whether The Littlest Reich or Retro is the worst of the Puppet Master movies for a while. They agree to disagree on which is worse - Mako thinks that Retro’s “updated” puppets are disgusting while Gabriel argues that a new installment seven years after the previous when the franchise deserved to be shelved is just awful - and settle on a franchise. Maybe. 

“Do you really want to sit through _Jason Takes Manhattan_? Seriously, it sounds like a Muppets special.”

“True, but the first few were good.”

“_Part Two_ sucks, though. At least next to the first movie. Might’ve worked better if _Part Two_ was the first and then the original came after, huh? ...Sorry, you probably aren’t interested in-“

“Nah, it makes sense. Would be more like givin’ context to all the footage they reused.”

“Exactly! And then it wouldn’t seem like a retread of the original with extra added on!” Gabriel chuckles as he snuggles into Mako’s side. He’s got some chocolate smeared on his fingers, and Mako takes the opportunity to pull Gabriel’s hand to his lips, gently press the tips of his fingers to his lips and kiss it off. His date is stunned into momentary silence, transfixed by the simple act. Mako follows up with a quick, chaste kiss on Gabriel’s cheek, opposite hand coming up to gently thumb over Gabriel’s jawline. It rubs a little makeup off, but if Gabriel realizes it, Mako can’t tell. He wonders, briefly, why Gabriel put it on again, since the shithead made it clear he had scars a few weeks ago. Mako is quick to brush it aside, though. He can see his own reflection in Gabriel’s deep amber irises, can’t help his infatuation with Gabriel’s vulnerable, awed expression.

They were apparently still on the front menu of Netflix. Gabriel jumps, struggles for the remote in a fit, then starts flicking through movies. “Sorry, I just remembered something,” he mutters under his breath, intently focusing on the titles flying by the screen. Mako’s brows draw together in confusion. He wasn’t too forward, or he didn’t think he was. It seems like an odd moment to jump away. Gabriel gasps in surprise when he finds what he is apparently looking for. “Here it is. It’s a Canadian film, but Ana, my buddy, her boyfriend is from Canada and says it’s good. If you want to take a chance on it, because I haven’t seen it yet.”

_My Bloody Valentine_. Mako is interested, though it’s offset by Gabriel’s fervor to find the title suddenly after a tender moment of relative quiet. “Hey,” he starts, gently taking Gabriel’s hands into his own. Gabriel stares at their joined hands until Mako takes one of his away to tilt Gabriel’s head back up so they can look each other in the eye. “Are you okay? Need you t’ tell me if I crossed a boundary or something.” Gabriel visibly swallows. He tries to look somewhere else, flick his eyes to either side, but they’re close enough that he’s not going to be able to look anywhere without seeing Mako. All at once, Gabriel sags in his seat, tightening his grip on Mako’s hand. He looks like he’s about to call it off. Mako is prepared for it, even.

Gabriel inhales deeply. “No. No, it’s nothing you did. I’m just not used to this, I guess. Or, not used to this from anybody other than my friends.” He makes an odd halting movement with his free hand, then repeats it, this time continuing through to completely wipe off the makeup that’s been slowly smudged off through the evening. Gabriel glances at the thick matte color on his hand. “I had some really bad luck with relationships when I still dated people casually. To say the least,” he adds, absently rubbing over his scars. Mako holds a little tighter to Gabriel’s hand, gives him a gentle squeeze. “Still not totally over it, is all. It’s not your fault.” Mako nods. He can understand why Gabriel would be distant if his last handful of boyfriends were anything close to what intruded on their first date. 

Mako pulls Gabriel closer to wrap him up in a back-breaking hug. “No problem,” he mumbles into Gabriel’s ear, “I know how bad shitty boyfriends can be. Won’t lie, figured you were gonna be the same. Happy to see I was wrong, because you’re fuckin’ great.” Mako chances another kiss, on the corner of Gabriel’s mouth, close enough to be intimate without fully committing to a make out. He feels the heat radiating from Gabriel’s face, though it’s hard to tell that he’s blushing. “Uh. I’m...glad to prove you wrong?” He seems to shake with barely-contained laughter. Mako smiles at him and hugs just that much tighter.

“D’you want to stay over for the night?” Mako asks. “The couch pulls out so you can sleep out here, if it makes you feel better.” Gabriel stills, probably thinking it over, then nods against Mako’s shoulder. “Yeah, that’d be fine. My roommate’s gone for another week or two but I locked the apartment, so no big deal. And, uh.” Gabriel flexes his hand, grabbing and releasing Mako’s shirt over and over for a solid minute. Finally he sighs, squeezing his arms tighter around Mako’s neck. “Thanks. For listening.” Mako nods, his face tickled by Gabriel’s beard. “Wanna watch your movie?” He asks after another moment of hugging. Gabriel glances toward the television. “Yeah. May as well, huh?”

-

Jamie is quiet when he unlocks the door. Hana and Lúcio had told him that Gabe is a light sleeper, just in case he happened to stay the night. He was frankly just not entirely comfortable having someone he didn’t know in the apartment, even if Mako was there. For all he knows, this kid could’ve sabotaged his stuff, messed around with his little miniature inventions or add-ons for his homemade prosthetics. Nobody is in the living room or kitchenette when Jamie walks in, but the bedroom light is on. Jamie practically sags with relief. So long as the kid wasn’t there, he could breathe a little easier. Jamison kicks off his singular boot (that probably needs replacing) onto the mat just inside the door. He dumps his bag there too, leaving it for his morning self to grab. He hobbles to the bedroom door and the light shining just barely past the bottom of the door. 

When he pushes the door open, the room is exactly how he’d left it earlier, just with Mako on the bed now. He was scrolling through something on his phone, smiling to himself. Jamie grinned. Seeing his mate happy was the only reason he let Lú drag Mako into this whole dating business. Granted, Mako didn’t show a lot of what he felt, but Jamison could tell, he knew for sure, that Mako was at the very least unhappy after his last attempt at a boyfriend. Jamie tried to convince Lúcio that Mako needed some time to rebound, not another fuck-up to ruin the foreseeable future, but for as stubborn as Jamie could be, Lúcio has him beat twenty times over.

“Oi, ‘m home!” Mako turns his head to the door. His smile breaks out into a wide grin, and he waves Jamison over. Jamie giggles as he jumps onto the bed, bouncing slightly. He wastes no time snuggling up to his big friend, weaseling his skinny little body underneath Mako’s powerful arm in a forceful cuddle. “How’s it been, mate? Kept it clean ‘n all that?” Mako chuckles. “Yeah. All straight, the way you like it.” 

The bedroom door creaks back again. “Mako? You alright? I heard the front door open.” From beneath his friend’s arm, Jamison can see Gabriel’s upper half leaning in from the doorway. He supposes the kid’s alright looking, with curls of dark, damp hair spilling around his head, a short goatee growing out, a little more jock-ish in the body than Jamie expected if he’s being perfectly honest. He always figured Mako liked Lúcio because of how small the DJ was in comparison; obviously that wasn’t what all of his attraction was based on, but Jamie still didn’t think Mako was terrifically interested in the ROTC scholarship types. Yet here this kid is, probably with a six pack and biceps half the size of Jamison’s head. Hard to tell with the baggy hoodie loosely hanging around his torso. “‘S alright, Gabe. Just Jamison.”

“Just?!” The indignant squawk of a word makes Mako pause to laugh. “Lemme know whenever y’ wanna get back home, yeah?”

“Uh. Yeah. Yeah, I’ll...I’ll tell you.” When he’d peeked in, Gabriel had looked fairly unconcerned. Now, he seems to have backpedaled to nervous, anxious even. Jamison tries not to let it get to him, burrowing into Mako’s side while Gabriel shuts the door again. “Hell, how’s Lú find these guys...?” Mako rubs Jamie’s elbow. “He ain’t really bad. Just a lil’ scared.” Jamie huffs. Guys like that didn’t get scared. They wanted their way and threw a fit if they didn’t get it until someone stuck a foot up the pricks’ ass. He and Mako both knew from experience. But Mako wasn’t a soft type. If he said his kid wasn’t bad, then Jamie could at least give him a little wider berth. A little. Mako was still his best mate, and if anything were to happen...

To put it lightly, the kid would have a lot of insurance claims to make.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this feels...weird. It’s the ending I want, it turned out pretty good imo, but it feels...weird. Maybe because I’m writing more from experience here than I ever have? Or maybe just because I’m actually FINISHING a fic for once lol
> 
> Thanks to all my readers, I might have an epilogue of sorts later but for now this is the end!

“You sure about walkin’ all the way back? I’ll take ya home, no problem.” Gabe had been eager and giddy the last evening to come over, was even fairly excited about being in Mako’s apartment, tiny as it is, yet now he looks like he wants nothing more than to run away and crawl into a hiding place as far from Mako as possible. He’s fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie with one hand, glancing between Jamison in the kitchen and Mako in front of him, other hand on the door knob. “I’ll be fine,” he assures half-heartedly, bright eyes flicking back to Jamison one more time before he finally pushed his way out and nearly tumbling down the stairs to the bottom. Mako watches him shudder at the bottom, pause, then shake himself before starting off, looking for all the world like he’s escaped a murder den. It’s a lot less obvious than Mako thinks, but he’s always been very good at noticing other people’s tells. To anyone else, Gabe’s nervous tics probably look perfectly normal, as though nothing in the world is wrong. 

There’s a puff from the kitchen. “Good fuckin’ riddance,” Jamison mutters, just barely audible over the clatter of pots and pans he’s been making since Gabe said he wanted to leave. Mako narrows his eyes at nothing in particular, though by the way the kitchen quiets, Jamison knows it’s meant for him. “Hell did you say to ‘im?”

“What? Me?! I didn’t say shit! Barely even looked at ‘im after bed. Hell did I say, good fuckin’ shit you’re blowin’, y’know that?” Mako huffs as he goes to sit back down on the couch. He’d hoped to have the rest of the day to spend with Gabe, sitting on the couch and watching bad horror sequels - maybe something spicy if he was up to it - was genuinely excited to have something to do for one of his days off, except now the excitement is gone and so is Gabe. Maybe he was just not ready for so much involvement. It’s a depressing train of thought, so Mako doesn’t dwell for long, but he’s had boyfriends in the past who were all in for a date or two and then couldn’t care less afterwards. 

That being said, Gabe definitely did not seem like that kind of person, especially with how he opened up last night about his past relationships. Something was different this morning than it was last night; that was why Mako assumed Jamison had said something nasty to Gabe and made him run off, because despite how such good friends they are, Jamison is a bit of a clingy, possessive, protective bastard. Mako trusts that Jamie told him the truth, though, that he _didn’t_ say anything to Gabe, so what could have possibly been wrong? There’s only so much different than it was the night before. Nothing more than Jamison. With a mental shrug, Mako brushes the train of thought off its tracks. He’ll call or text Gabe later and see if he can get an answer. For now, Mako kicks back to enjoy his four continuous days of no work.

-

The next time he sees or even hears from Gabe is a week later. Mako had expected a text or two from him, explaining himself, but instead, he’d only gotten silence. Mako was almost resigned to another failed relationship, ready to cut it off and delete Gabe’s number when he got a text. Except it wasn’t him.

**Lú**:_mako , have you heard from gabe???_  
**Lú**:_he said he was going to be out for a while but me an hana havent heard from him in like_  
**Lú**:_five days??????_  
**Lú**:_tell me youve seen him please_

Mako frowns at the texts sent in rapid succession after he opened his phone for the first one. Five days? The shop is closing down for the day - probably why Lúcio is only texting him just now instead of earlier - but why is nobody else being asked for this? Or did Gabe just not tell Lúcio what went wrong? It’s possible. Gabriel doesn’t seem to be the emotionally sharing type. Evident by apparently being missing for five days. 

:_Havent seen him around either. Left my place about a week ago. Hasn’t texted or anything since._  
:_Tried police yet?_

**Lú**:_mako_  
**Lú**:_babe_  
**Lú**:_i love you_  
**Lú**:_but gabe is a half black college age man in a high pop city_  
**Lú**:_i think we both know_  
**Lú**:_////personally///_  
**Lú**:_that police are gonna hurt more than they help___

_ _He’s right of course. Mako wishes he wasn’t. But Lúcio has a good point. Cops are terrible, terrible people, and even if they weren’t, they couldn’t find a missing person if it was their own child. Which, of course, means he’s going to have to help Lúcio and Hana find Gabe. _ _

_ _:_Where was he last?__ _

_ _**Lú**:_said he was just gonna hang out at home for a while_  
**Lú**:_idk if hes there now but door was locked when i went and it was quiet inside__ _

_ _:_You didnt think he maybe just was asleep?__ _

_ _ _**Lú**:_I mean yeah but five days without A N Y K I N D of response??????_  
**Lú**:_...i see your point_  
**Lú**:_sorryyyyyyyyy, were gonna go get amelie I guess since shes got a spare key__ _ _

_ _ _:_Dont. Ill bring Jamison, we can open it up.__ _ _

__ _ _**Lú**:_yeah?? thank you so much dude_  
**Lú**:_sorry if i freaked you out about gabe_  
**Lú**:_i know you guys were kinda weird__ _

_ _ _That’s an odd way to describe them. Mako brushes it off as he gets to the chopper. Maybe just Lúcio being himself, being worried by someone being alone for five days in their apartment by themselves. Granted, Mako thinks as he starts the chopper and texts Jamie to have his lockpicking stuff ready, it’s reason to worry if said person doesn’t tell anyone they’re going to be alone for so long. Mako wonders, briefly, as he sets off down the street towards his apartment if he has anything to do with Gabriel’s complete absence. The thought is brushed away as soon as it comes into his head, though. Gabriel is a grown ass adult, so if something is wrong, he can say it. _ _ _

_ _ _After pulling Jamie down from the apartment, Mako gets directions from Lúcio via text that Jamison reads out to him between stoplights. It’s a fifteen minute drive, except it seems too long. But everything seems too long in these kinds of situations, Mako thinks. A second feels like an hour because that second could be the deciding factor in someone’s life or their death. Theory of relativity and all._ _ _

_ _ _When the two arrive, Hana and Lúcio are waiting at the apartment door, and they yell, wave their arms, jump, do everything they can to get Mako and Jamie’s attention. The complex is a bit nicer than Mako and Jamison’s, but only by a few hundred dollars. It wasn’t five star or anything fancy, though it’s certainly obvious that Gabe has scholarship money. _ _ _

_ _ _“Thanks so much, guys. I’m really sorry for worrying so much, but Gabe doesn’t really go off the grid like this, he usually tells someone, and I couldn’t get a hold of Ana and Jack, Jack’s his roommate, so I wasn’t sure if he was keeping in contact with them or anything so-“ Mako gently quiets the smaller man by pushing his forefinger against his lips, and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Lú? ‘S ok. Ain’t a problem.” Hana giggles at Lúcio’s soft blush while Jamison begins working the lock. Lúcio’s got plenty of energy as it is, and it only ever gets worse if he gets too anxious, so Mako has found a quite eloquent solution - just kiss him. It’s usually enough to make him settle down, even if just for a moment. “Yeah. Well, I guess just...be ready to go looking? Because he may be...gone.” ‘Gone’ is a very loose term, and all four know that ‘gone’ could mean anything from a day trip with his other friends or something far worse. It’s easy for Mako to ignore because he’s practiced in how he thinks. He used to work disaster relief, so he knows better than to get caught up in ‘what ifs’ until they need ideas. That said, he still hopes that Gabe hasn’t gone anywhere far._ _ _

_ _ _There’s a sudden and abnormally loud-sounding click. Jamison cackles as he pushes the door open. Lúcio and Hana both tense, ready to stumble on whatever may be inside. Mako keeps to the back watching for any nosy neighbors that may try to snitch on them, so he misses the quiet silhouette that slips to the other side of the main room. It’s not necessarily a mess when Mako looks back, but it’s obviously been lived in recently. The moderately sized TV is paused on an episode of Sunny Family Cult, an excellent horror series Mako has watched a few times before, the couch is covered in blankets and sheets, and there’s hardly any dust to be seen, either on the TV stand, the couch, the carpet, or the window sill. Mako turns to see if he can spot Gabe’s car in the parking lot._ _ _

_ _ _Nobody expects the sudden _pop!_ as Jamison steps into the apartment. _ _ _

_ _ _He stumbles back, clutching a bleeding, maybe broken nose, hissing through his teeth and probably about to yell. Lúcio immediately grabs his arm and pulls him to the bathroom, meanwhile Gabriel stands aside, looking largely unaffected. Hana takes the initiative and punches Gabriel in the chest. He steps back a bit, but likely more from surprise than the actual impact. “What the heck, Gabe! Why’d you punch Jamie?!” He shrugs, stuffs his hands in his pockets. Mako shuts the door behind them, after several seconds of holding it open in case they needed to start a proper search. “Someone picked the lock and came into my apartment without me knowing. Didn’t know he was with you guys, I just woke up.” Hana glares again, leaving with a warning point that she maintains as she goes to the bathroom to check on Lúcio and Jamie. Gabe huffs. _ _ _

_ _ _After a moment or two, Lúcio comes storming out of the bathroom, and despite nearly seven inches of height disparity, Gabriel is backed against a wall. “What happened?! You didn’t respond to _anything_ from me and Hana for five days! And Mako hadn’t heard from you in a week!” Gabe opens his mouth to argue, but Lúcio beats him to it. “We’ve been absolutely terrified that you got kidnapped or killed or something! And Jack and Ana are still in Cairo, _hundreds of miles_ away, and I couldn’t get a hold of them!” Lúcio seems like he’s going to say more, though he needs a few breaths before he can continue. He steps back, arms crossed, waiting for Gabriel to lean away from the wall. “Tell me.”_ _ _

_ _ _“What?”_ _ _

_ _ _“What do you mean, what? Tell me why you haven’t said a word to anybody in nearly a week.” Gabe walks past Lúcio, gets cussed at as he walks by the bathroom, and comes back with his phone in hand. The screen is dark with cracks spider-webbing across the surface. “I dropped it on the way back from Mako’s, and since I’m a reflexive dumbass, I kicked it and now it won’t stay on unless it’s plugged in.” Gabe waves at the not-quite mess of the living room. “And I’ve been watching _Sunny Family_ and _Mordeo_ for the past couple of days out here. Cable won’t reach any of the outlets. I didn’t know you were trying to call or anything.” Lúcio looks skeptical, though he seems to accept it because he just sighs, and a soft smile slowly grows across his face. He reaches out, almost like he’s going to punch Gabe like Hana did a few moments ago, but instead just pats his arm. “You do that again, and I’m gonna tell Ana and Jack on you. I worry, y’know. Since you work for me and all,” he jokes, elbowing Gabriel in the side as he goes to help Hana and Jamie. Gabe watches him go, pointedly looking anywhere that is _not_ at Mako._ _ _

_ _ _Since the TV is on, he walks around and rewinds the episode, then plops onto the couch with another annoyed huff. Mako comes around, plans to sit down with him before Gabe picks his feet up and takes up the rest of the small sofa. Well enough. Mako lifts his feet instead and sits anyway, placing Gabe’s feet in his lap. If he wants to be difficult after five days of silence, then Mako will accommodate. There’s a bit of clatter and a surprised shout from the bathroom. _ _ _

_ _ _Gabe sighs. “You could’ve just told me,” he mutters, nearly inaudible over the screams of a horror movie victim. “Told you what?”_ _ _

_ _ _“That you have a boyfriend already. That I’m not the only one. Whatever.” He huffs and sinks further down, not even watching the telly anymore. Gabriel pulls his hoodie off to reveal that he’s shirtless underneath. He tosses the garment aside and crosses his arms over his chest, barely unable to cover the scars just under his pecs. Mako lifts an eyebrow without looking at him. “Don’t know why I’d tell you that, ‘cause you _are_ the only one.” Gabe pulls one leg back, presumably for a kick, but he thinks better of it, instead pulling both feet back and curling up. “I’m not,” he says again, looking pointedly toward the bathroom. “You’ve got someone you like better, who’s also probably cis and not got as much baggage as I do.” Mako blinks. “Jamison?” Gabriel shrugs. He looks so goddamn pretty, curled up and pouting with his bad boy face, scars and all. Mako laughs, can’t help himself. “Gabe, Jamison lives with me because he’s an idiot. Or I live with him, more like,” Mako explains, continuing when Gabe gives him a questioning look and a puppy-like head tilt, “He owns the auto shop but he can’t keep from startin’ a fire to save his life, even doin’ simple shit. So he has me live with him since I can keep his shit under control.” _ _ _

_ _ _Gabriel sits a bit straighter, eyes wider, and his mouth falls open ever so slightly. “But...but when I spent the night... I came in and you two were cuddling, like-“_ _ _

_ _ _“Like how we do every night. Jamison ain’t the ‘shut up and take it’ type. Wears his heart on his sleeves. Can’t take it when he has a break-up ‘cause of how he bawls ‘n blubbers, you oughta see ‘im.” Every last drop of tension bleeds from Gabriel. He looks lost, confused, yet somehow - even in a small way - happy. “So you- I mean, shit, I’m, fuck, I’m an idiot, I should’ve-“ Mako quiets him with the tried and true tactic. He doesn’t even have to hold Gabe still for him to relax immediately, lips covering Gabe’s because they always do. _ _ _

_ _ _They part, and Gabriel looks like he’s just taken the best hit of weed in his life. He’s smiling, giddy, blushing with a warm tinge across his cheeks. Gabe dives forward, wrapping his arms around Mako’s neck, outright laughing now. Mako happily returns the embrace, squeezing until Gabe squirms for breath. Gabe pulls back, still laughing, breathless from the tight hug, and then he pauses. He looks like he’s about to ask something, but the creak of the bathroom door pulls their attentions away from each other._ _ _

_ _ _Lúcio is walking out a very upset Jamison, who has tissues stuffed up his nose with dark red peeking out. “So uh. Gabe. You broke Jamie’s nose, so we’re gonna head to the hospital across campus real quick.” Hana pops her head out, adding, “If anyone asks, we’re going with ‘aggressive door slam’, so that you don’t get in so much trouble.” Lúcio is busy guiding Jamison to the door, but Hana notices Gabe and Mako nearly on top of each other from the back of the couch. She grins, almost squeaks, except Lúcio asks her to get the door. Hana glares at the two on the couch. “You are both _telling me_ absolutely _everything_ when we get back, you got it?” She jabs a finger at them by the door. “Everything!” With that, the apartment door finally shuts, and Gabe and Mako smile. _ _ _

_ _ _“So uh. I kind of owe you a big ‘I’m sorry’-“_ _ _

_ _ _“Jamison too.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Yeah, Jamison too. So do you mind staying...” Gabe looks like he wants to say ‘for the night’ but either backs down from that thought or recalls Jamie and Mako’s living situation, because he changes mid sentence. “...staying until Lúcio and Hana get back with Jamison?” He finishes lamely. Mako rubs his hand over Gabriel’s bare skin, making him shudder. “Ain’t gonna go anywhere ‘til then.” _ _ _

_ _ _Gabe smiles, but it’s oddly restrained. He looks like he still wants to talk, though he doesn’t, instead just lays his head on Mako’s belly and looks vaguely like a mopey puppy. He doesn’t do more than breathe for the longest time, completely still sprawled across Mako. It’s the calmest that he’s ever seen Gabe. Serene, peaceful, maybe even asleep because he drools a bit here and there, wiping it away soon after. It doesn’t last, though. Gabriel starts shifting around, repositioning again and again until he just huffs and goes right back to where he started. Mako gives him time to work himself up._ _ _

_ _ _“Hey.” Mako turns to see Gabe on his knees, trying to lean forward and away at the same time. “I, uh. You didn’t...”_ _ _

_ _ _“Didn’t?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Didn’t say anything. When I was pissy and said Jamison was probably cis.”_ _ _

_ _ _“No?” It wasn’t phrased like a question but Mako felt like he had to answer with one. The statement is just so outlandish and random, he’s not sure how else to react to it. “Why?” _ _ _

_ _ _“Why didn’t I ask when you said Jamison was probably cis?”_ _ _

_ _ _“Yeah.” Mako shrugs. He’s very used to the word, it barely registered when Gabe had said it. Jamison is endlessly curious about damn near everything, even things he probably has no business sticking his goofy blonde head into, so Mako’s nearly desensitized to slang like that, especially after having to work Jamison away from using much more..._colorful_ language to refer to trans and non binary people. A necessity, given their proximity to the college campus. Mako watched Jamison get involved in more than a few scuffles he hadn’t intended on because of his mouth. Hearing Gabe accuse him of being with Jamison just because the nuthead was cis just didn’t ping his radar, partially because of how he’s been accused of it before (only twice, but he’d been equally unaffected then as well). “Don’t think of it much.” Gabe’s eyes narrow, and Mako snorts at the leery expression. This is the kind of spitfire he expected when Lúcio set them up. “Mean it doesn’t come up much anymore. Nobody asks me, and when they do hey get real upset because I don’t have a monster dick for ‘em.” _ _ _

_ _ _Gabriel blinks. The words take a few minutes to catch on, but it’s clear when they do by the way he sags, like he’s a puppet with his strings cut, and the slight gale of his mouth. Mako bumps his chin with one finger until his mouth closes. At first, he seems torn between awe and confusion, as though he just can’t accept the fact that he’s not the only one with these kinds of problems. And maybe that _is_ what he feels like. Mako found a half-decent trans community a few years before moving in with Jamison and being so close to the college where those types of people usually flock only helped him find more people to talk to and relate with. He’s so used to talking about these things that it’s difficult to remember what it was like _before_. But Gabriel was not a social type (not that Mako is either, of course, but Lúcio had wanted him to have people he could really talk to about his gender without having to put himself) so maybe it’s not surprising that he’s so dumbfounded._ _ _

_ _ _Once the words seem to finally settle in his head, Gabriel deflates like a giddy, happy balloon, cuddling up to Mako’s chest and giggling. “No shit. I’ve been dating since I was sixteen and every time we get around to this, it’s always some shit about ‘what do you mean you don’t have a monster cock?’ Every time.” Gabe shifts, nestling himself between Mako’s arm and his belly. “I am perfectly happy with my dick, because I bet we could make more people happy than some cishet fuck with a six-inch.”_ _ _

_ _ _“Hell yeah we could. Easy.” Mako presses a soft kiss onto the top of Gabriel’s head and he can feel the heat against his side. But Gabe doesn’t pull away. He just tries to burrow against him even more, and Mako would be happy to pull him into his ribcage if he could._ _ _

_ _ _They sit for the longest time, mere minutes that felt like days. It felt better, it felt _right_. Like this is just what their natural state is supposed to be, cuddled up against one another with horror and gore splayed across a screen in front for them to laugh and ‘ooh’ at._ _ _

_ _ _And hell. So what if it is? So what if it _isn’t_? _ _ _

_ _ _Mako squeezes, just this side of too much, but Gabe doesn’t say a word. He looks perfect with his handsome face smushed against Mako’s belly. And anyone who didn’t think so was damn blind, Mako thinks to himself._ _ _


End file.
